1. Field
Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to image sensors that provide improved light use efficiency and/or improved color purity and image pickup apparatuses including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in order to increase the number of pixels in an image sensor, pixel miniaturization is desired accordingly. When the pixel miniaturization is performed, light intensity securement and noise removal are important issues.
A substantial loss of an optical signal occurs in a color filter layer. A color filter used in the image sensor is an absorption-type color filter. Accordingly, the color filter may have low light use efficiency because the color filter absorbs lights of colors other than desired colors. For example, when a red, green, and blue (RGB) color filter is used in an image sensor, only about one third of the incident light is transmitted through the RGB color filter and the remaining portion, that is, about two thirds of the incident light is absorbed in the RGB color filter. Therefore, the light use efficiency of the RGB color filter may be only about 33%.
Thus, in order to increase the light efficiency, a scheme is attempted to sense intensity of the color light in each pixel without using the color filter.